There goes the First Ammendment

[WanganRunner]

The right needs to stop being so alarmed at this prospect.

This will ONLY happen if the Democrats attain a super-majority, i.e. 60 seats in the Senate. This is HIGHLY unlikely, so stop stressing out about it.

All that will happen is a house majority, a Dem President, and a Senate majority that is NOT filibuster-proof (i.e. precisely what the GOP had awhile back).

It won't be anything earth-shattering.



That article, however, totally ignores the most profound thing the Dems could do with a super-majority if they ever got one. They could eliminate the electoral college and run Presidential elections on a straight popular vote.

A popular vote would mean that the GOP would never get another President elected EVER AGAIN, barring huge shifts in how population is distributed in the United States. Right now, it's not in the Dems interest to spend time and money extracting maximum turnout from hugely populated areas in safe blue states, they're more motivated to go after a few swing voters in rural Ohio. With a popular vote they could ignore the Rust Belt swing voters and ramp up their turnout on the coasts. The GOP already has very near max turnout, but the Dems have a huge potential to tap more. Given how the population is distributed in this country (i.e. heavy on the coasts), the GOP would never, ever, ever, ever win a Presidential election EVER again.

But a super-majority won't happen, so don't sweat it.



EDIT: As of the most recent census, the total "Blue State" (04 election) population is 167.9 million people while the total "Red State" population is only 125.2 million. Now, of course, there are Democrats in red states and Republicans in blue states, but the way it is right now, the percentage of population that actually votes is still pretty low. If the Republicans maxed turnout in their lower-populated states and the Dems maxed turnout in their much higher-populated states, well.....you get the idea. It would be permanent Democratic rule forever.